.png)
Hiya Neuphorians!
I know that the current military conflict has had us all stressed out lately. But I’m relieved to announce that it is finally over. That’s right- BTS has completed their mandatory South Korean military service!
With their military obligations behind them, BTS released their first studio LP in & 5 years, with “Arirang”. That joins other March mega-LP releases from RAYE, Harry Styles and Luke Combs. In the March playlist, we travel to France (3x), Ethiopia, Korea, Argentina, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden and of course, the US and UK. Happy listening!
The Playlist direct links are:
If you wish to vote on the March Playlist, please submit your votes by EOD Sunday, April 12th PT (Monday, April 13th for the Europeans, Aussies and South Americans).
Your babydoll,
D
RAYE, Nightingale Lane (R&B)- RAYE’s March 27 LP “This Music May Contain Hope”
is larger than life. Part Broadway, part aughts R&B, part swing jazz and part
confessional, RAYE breathes life into those somewhat played out genres with her stunning vocals, sharp wit, and crisp production in her new LP. Listening to RAYE’s candid references to her insecurities and determination and endearing tales about her family members, RAYE is instantly relatable.
After winning the 2024 BRIT Awards (UK Grammy’s) for Best Album, Song, Songwriter, Artist and New Artist, RAYE was assigned a big-name producer to produce more of the same (according to Pitchfork). However, RAYE responded “f**kshit”, changed teams and delivered the maximalist “This Music May Contain Hope”.
Alex Warren, Fever Dream (Pop)- Carlsbad’s Alex Warren burst on the scene in 2025, with the global #1 smash hit, “Ordinary”. With the sweeping “Fever Dream”, already #7 in the UK, Warren is proving that he is not a one-hit wonder. However, the Christian music-adjacent Warren still needs to win over the critics who consider him formulaic and……….. ordinary.
Dominic Fike, Babydoll (Alternative/Pop)- Originally released in 2018, Floridian Fike’s “Babydoll” reached #1 in Spotify’s global streaming charts in March 2026- and is moving up the Billboard charts. Due to the song’s loop-friendly intro, “Babydoll” went viral on TikTok in early 2026 as a meme soundtrack. “Babydoll’s” popularity is not hurt by Fike being introduced as a “Euphoria” cast member in 2022.
Fike’s upbringing- Growing up, both of Fike’s parents were heroin addicts, with his father absent for much of his childhood and his mother being in and out of jail. Like his mixed ethnicity (Black, Asian, European), Fike’s music is genre-blending.
Bella Kay, iloveitiloveitiloveit, (Alternative/Pop)- What is the 2026 cheat code for pop stardom at 19? Skip the years paying dues and just film short dopamine-inducing meme-friendly hooks on TikTok. Make sure the production is unpolished, do NOT use capital letters and portray a cool, but messy girl vibe- and then let the algorithm do the heavy lifting. Next, get signed to a record contract, release some singles and watch one (iloveitiloveitiloveit) go to #1 on the streaming charts and to #2 in the UK singles chart- shortly before your 20 th birthday on March 23, 2026. Voila……….you have Bella Kay!
Kacey Musgraves, Dry Spell (Country)- With the blatantly suggestive “Dry Spell”, the Queen of New Country joins Hillary Duff, Robyn, Madonna and Beyonce in the “late 30’s/early 40’s women can be horny too” genre. Despite Kacey’s shameless double entendres, “Dry Spell” works due to its catchy melody, her self-deprecating humor and the goodwill that she’s earned with her legacy of great songwriting and general coolness.
Asake & DJ Snake, Worship (Afrobeats)- The eclectic grill-toothed Asake has another #1 African hit in “Worship”- not surprising- it’s his 15 th #1 song. While “Worship” is intended to be a universal exaltation, Asake’s reference to “Alhamdulillah” reveals his Muslim heritage. Hot Paris producer, DJ Snake contributes sheen and a trop house hook to the equation.
BTS, Body to Body (K-Pop)- BTS’s much-awaited March 20 “Arirang” is their 1 st LP since 2020 and not surprisingly, it is #1 in the World, with the songs “Swim” charting at #1 and “Body to Body” at #2 in streaming. Yet, “Arirang” has received mixed reviews. “Body to Body” is my favorite from the LP, featuring Diplo’s hard Jersey-club beat and a traditional Korean folk “Arirang” chorus near the end.
Chris Lorenzo & Kah-Lo, In This Bih’ (House/Rap)- Sometimes the most evocative club songs are the most basic. With British DJ Chris Lorenzo’s hard tech-house beat, Nigerian Kah-Lo’s syncopated rap and the occasional random dog bark sample, “In this Bi(tc)h” is certainly elemental. Its bite is certainly worse than its bark.
Bossman Dlow, Motion Party (Rap/Dance)- The Bossman is the 3rd young Floridian (along with Dominic Fike and Bella Kay) to land in the top 10 of the streaming charts in March 2026, with “Motion Party”. For those of you who don’t speak Gen Z- having a “motion party” means being locked in on working toward a goal.
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso (C&P), Muero (Latin)- Argentina’s experimental hip-
hop/electronic/jazz duo, C&P burst onto the scene in 2025 with an incredibly lit NPR Tiny Desk Concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kqnsoY94L8 ). “Muero” is from C&P’s 2nd LP which was released on March 19 to high expectations given that their 1 st LP resulted in a Grammy and 5 Latin Grammys.
Trivia- Coincidentally, CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso have incredibly similar surnames, with both meaning “warrior”; one is of Portuguese origin (Guerreiro) and the other is Italian (Guerriero).
Kungs, Do It Right (House)- French former wunderkind DJ, Kungs (Valentin Brunel) who had a #1 continental European hit in 2016, is now an elder statesman producer at 29, releasing his 3rd LP March 13. While several of Brunel’s new tunes would be suitable to include, I chose “Do It Right” due to its irresistible super tight Daft Punk-like repetition.
Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Slumber Party (Rock/New Wave)- It is no mistake that
Brigitte’s leading man, Wes Leavins has the brooding looks, charisma and stage presence of….well, a leading man. Leavins came to fame playing Elvis Presley on stage in Million Dollar Quartet- even being considered by Baz Luhrmann to play Elvis in the hit 2022 biopic.
“Slumber Party” is the 2nd single from Brigitte’s March LP “Irreversible” and features an infectious and propulsive 80’s New Wave sound.
Trivia- Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s band name came from Leavins high school project to write to a notable person. Leavins chose Brigitte Bardot and they corresponded as pen pals briefly thereafter.
Hammok, The Scene (Metal/Punk)- To see if you’re still awake, I’ve added Norway’s post-hardcore band Hammok’s new single, “The Scene”, which was named one of Pitchfork’s songs of the month in March. Tobias Osland’s piercing scream of “Sit the f**k down, get your guard down, let us get it together” rips through “The Scene’s” jagged guitar riff, expressing urgency at its most primal.
Tѐkѐtѐlѐgn, Blén (East African)- Tѐkѐtѐlѐgn’s maturity and complexity, featuring string orchestration, traditional Ethiopian begena (string instrument) and Blén Yosef’s confident vocal belies the fact that it is only the Addis Ababa artist’s 4th song ever released. Thanks to Neuphorian JoeMo for sending me the NPR world music newsletter that reviewed this song.
Waterboy, Srs Ice (R&B/Jazz)- Waterbaby is the pseudonym for Swedish/Gambian former make-up artist Nanna Egerbladh. The slow off-kilter piano glissando, funereal horns and strings of “Srs (Serious) Ice” are arresting and distinctive.
James Blake, I Had a Dream She Took My Hand, (R&B/Electronic)- Once considered avant garde due to his strange mix of ambient electronic music, R&B and falsetto singing, James Blake could now be considered mainstream. He has won Grammys and even had a touring Ballet choreographed and performed to one of his LPs. So his March 2026 release of his 7th LP “Trying Times” is kind of a big deal. I chose “I Had a Dream…..” from the LP as it introduces yet another incongruent influence for Blake, 50’s pop balladry.
Gabi Hartmann, Salinda, la fille aux yeux de sel (Jazz/World)- With its swaying rumba rhythm and vintage clarinet choir, Parisian jazz artist Gabi Hartmann’s “Salinda, la fille…..” transports you to a bygone era. Again, thanks to JoeMo for sending me the NPR world music newsletter that referenced this song.